It is well recognized that periodontal pathology (loss of integrity of tooth supporting bone and gingiva) is responsible for the majority of adult tooth loss. In addition, gingival fibroblasts, cells that are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the periodontium, serve roles as tissue component synthesizers and supportive elements. Human gingival fibroblasts (G.F.) can be grown in cell culture from gingival biopsies. Further, these cultured cells maintain comparable functional capabilities that were manifested in the parental, i.e. donor, cells. In this study, G.F. strains were cultured from biopsies taken from patients in gingival health (ADA I) and patients with Juvenile Periodontitis (J.P.). J.P. represents a precocious form of periodontal disease (seen in adolescents), which shows vast tissue destruction despite a paucity of local factors, e.g. calculus. To date, it has been determined that G.F. cells harvested from J.P. donors synthesize statistically significantly less total cellular protein than cells obtained from ADA I donors. As stated earlier, synthesis represents one of the 1 degree functions of the G.F. Further, the regulation of cellular protein synthesis has been found crucial for cell growth and development, in both the cultured and in vivo states. Also, cells (both cultured and in vivo) proceed through a regulated growth phase ("cell cycle"); cellular protein status is deemed necessary for cells to progress through this cycle. The significance of our findings is potentially twofold. First, the J.P. cells, possessing decreased levels of cellular protein, could have a prolonged growth cycle. Also, this altered protein synthesis may be manifested as modified products e.g. altered collagen (gingiva framework protein) formation.